Icons of Influence Faizal E Kottikollon Founder and Chairman, KEF Holdings Faizal E Kottikollon, the founder and chairman of KEF Holdings, began his journey in the UAE as a scrap metal trader. He then established Al Ahmadi General Trading in Ajman followed by Emirates Techno Casting FZE in Sharjah, which became a global leader in foundry manufacturing for the oil and gas industry. The strategic sale of ETC to Tyco International in 2012 marked a pivotal milestone, allowing Kottikollon to reshape KEF Holdings into a conglomerate focusing on infrastructure, investments, healthcare, and wellness. His KEF Infra, established in 2014 on a 42-acre campus, quickly became the world’s largest integrated offsite manufacturer of prefab construction. The highly automated and robotics-driven plant produced corporate headquarters, canteens, and health centres. In 2018, just four years after its inception, Kottikollon sold KEF Infra to Katerra, a US-based offsite construction firm owned by Japan’s SoftBank. Beyond business, Kottikollon’s vision extends to philanthropy. In 2007, he and his wife Shabana founded the Faizal and Shabana Foundation, dedicated to enhancing education, healthcare, and humanitarian assistance. His latest venture, Tulah, is a $100m wellness centre in Kerala, India, designed to revolutionise wellness. Kottikollon’s commitment to innovation is evident in Tulah’s design and operation. The centre aims to reimagine health and wellness by blending modern medical practices with holistic treatments. With state-of- the-art medical facilities and a focus on mind-body harmony, Tulah is poised to set a new standard in the wellness industry. You might also like Sunil John Dr. Thumbay Moideen Vidya Chhabria Mohan Valrani K. Rajaram Dr. Adnan Chilwan Sanjiv Kakkar Ram Kumar Thota Raghu Malhotra Sunil Kaushal Atif Rahman Amit Jain Rishi Kapoor Vasu Shroff Anil Pillai Bal Krishen Rohit and Sharad Bachani Raju Ramesh and Sunil Paul Ayesha Depala John Paul Joy Alukkas Geet Bhalla and Digvijay Pratap Snehal and Sunita Hadani Nisha Jagtiani Kunal Kapoor Dino Varkey Ashish Panjabi Joy Alukkas Yogesh Mehta Yusuff Ali M.A. Ravi Pillai Micky Jagtiani Sunny Varkey Sunil Vaswani Shamsheer Vayalil Firoz Merchant Rajen Kilachand Azad Moopen Tony Jashanmal Paras Shahdadpuri Dr. Zulekha Daud Adeeb Ahamed Dhananjay Datar Rizwan Sajan PNC Menon Sima Ved Shaji Ul Mulk Ramesh Prabhakar L.T. Pagarani Ram Buxani Surender Kandhari Sohan Roy Shyam Bhatia